We spent Christmas Day with Jessica’s side of the family. It’s usually a pretty laid-back affair, with nearly everyone bringing a dish to pass — whether it be a meal or a snack of some kind. Jessica and I made beef sliders (having bought probably way too much meat) along with a couple kinds of dips. Aside from yours truly, of course.
While the adults did boring things like talk, Namine and her cousins busted out the coloring books, along with the colored pencils, markers, and a variety of pens. While I am an adult (sometimes begrudgingly so), and I did make conversation for a while, I eventually gravitated towards the coloring books as well.
In one of the coloring books, I found a yet-uncolored raven. Since I am color blind, Namine and her cousins helpfully informed me which colors I was using. I appreciated the help, and I must admit that even though I have not colored a picture in quite some time, I enjoyed myself immensely. It allowed me to catch up with the younger members of the family on their own terms.
Let me explain a little what I mean. Adults will ask me how Namine is doing. Of course, I, being her parent, know and am willing to share. But seldom do they ask her, even though she may be right there in the room with me. It is important to remember, however, that my daughter is her own person. How is she doing? Ask her yourself. (In text, that sounds a little mean, perhaps abrupt. But that’s not its intent.) Likewise, sitting at the table with the children of the family — growing up though they may be — allowed them to say in their own words what’s going on in their lives.
It would not be a family Christmas gathering without presents, of course. I sat by the tree and handed out presents to the three girls, who took turns opening their presents. Namine was excited to receive a gem decorating kit and the Bluey game for the Switch, among other things.
In the interest of including the entire family, not just the adults, we switched up the annual party game. In years past, we’ve played what we refer to as the “Saran Wrap Game,” in which we wrap a bunch of small presents and gift cards in cling wrap. We then take turns trying to unwrap the cling wrap ball while wearing oven mitts.
Playing the Saran Wrap Game, we adults can get a little, uh, frenzied. In order to include the younger family members, we played a game not unlike beer pong, sans the beer. Instead of using disposable cups, we used muffin trays with a number at the bottom. A successful shot would win whatever prize corresponded to that number.
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